Author's Note
Hi everyone! This is my first update on this website in over a year. It's a story I've been thinking about for a while and am really excited about. Something I've got to stress, though, is don't expect regular updates. I'm in the middle of a bit of a lull in my schedule right now, but am also participating in a writing event called CampNaNoWriMo. I am excited to be back, though, and hope you all enjoy my story and note the improvement I've made since my first Percy Jackson story, Child of the Parthenon. Thank you all!
. .
Percy rubbed his arms frantically, trying to create some form of barrier to block out the cold. To his left Annabeth checked the pamphlet they had been given and to his right Jason shifted from foot to foot. While happy to have finally landed on the ground after a nearly seven hour, nerve racking, death defying airplane flight he would have rather it landed somewhere warm and sunny, like the Bahamas. Instead, he was stuck in a small town in Montana, with an airport that could only be classified as "International" because it was practically on the Canadian border.
Grover had sent them an Iris Message a week ago asking for backup. He claimed to have found a half blood, but wasn't quite sure how to convince them to go to Camp. So, he spent the better part of a day pleading, debating, and even bribing Percy to convince him to hop the next flight out.
Percy glanced out the large, glass sliding doors hoping upon hopes to catch site of the car that was supposed to take them to their hotel. However, all he could see was a flurry of white snow falling down from the sky.
"Maybe we could ask Grover to give us a ride?" Jason suggested out of nowhere, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. His voice echoed around the nearly empty room. It was nearly one in the morning, after all, and their flight had arrived nearly an hour ago. Annabeth glanced up at the two, then out the same way Percy had been gazing for the past few minutes.
"No, the driver should be here soon. And if not maybe the airport offers shuttle services," she stated. Percy raised an eyebrow and looked around in faux curiosity.
"Oh, yeah, I'm sure the place that has the one luggage claim belt next to its only terminal has a shuttle service," he said sarcastically.
"Do we even know what car we're looking for?" Jason asked, walking closer to the door. His blue hoodie was pulled close around his muscular frame in hopes of providing some protection against the cool air around them. Despite heaters running at full tilt, cold still seeped through the walls.
"It's going to be a white minivan with 'Glacier Lodge' on the side," Annabeth held up the pamphlet she'd been investigating to show them the black and white picture on the inside.
Percy huffed a sigh and dropped the handle of his suitcase.
"You know," he said, "I could be at home right now. Sitting in my Mom's living room, eating a plate of blue cookies. But no Grover had to drag us all the way out to the middle of nowhere," Annabeth sent him a glare.
"Oh, please Seaweed Brain. You've been in situations worse than this. Quit complaining, it's not that bad. Plus, it'll be an interesting opportunity to see a new part of the world we haven't gone before," she tried to persuade him, but he just gave her an unimpressed look. Annabeth sighed, "And, I hear there's a ski resort and a lake," she said unimpressed. Percy perked up at the mention of a body of water.
"Hey, guys?" Jason called from where he had decided to stand vigilant at the entrance, "I think our ride is finally here,"
Percy was ready to leave in a matter of milliseconds, grabbing both his and Annabeth's suitcases and dragging them towards the exit. There, sitting at the roundabout outside the door, just like Annabeth said it would, was a white van with a mountain logo on the side and the jumbled up letters that, if his brain arranged them correctly, would probably spell out "Glacier Lodge."
The group hurried out into the frigid night, ducking low against the winds and sting of snowflakes hitting any exposed skin. A man in a parka climbed out of the drivers side seat and walked around to pull open the door to the back. He gave them all polite greetings, such as "Hello," or "How was your flight?" and in less than a minute all three teenagers were settled into the back and on their way down a four lane highway.
The van rattled and shaked as it moved, windshield wipers working at full speed and headlights blasting into the night. Annabeth sat uncomfortably sandwiched between the two boys, and the entire vehicle had the distinct smell of an expired car scent tree that had been hung up ten years ago and no one had ever bothered to take it down.
"So," Annabeth attempted to make polite conversation with their driver, "Is this usually how bad the snow is this time of year?" The man glanced in his rearview message and let out a loud "Ha!" that startled the group.
"This?" he stated incredulously, "No offense meant, miss, but this is mild. And desperately needed, I might add. Been an unusually warm winter, this one. Lots of folks suffering from it, too. Our income as a community rests on whether or not Miss Mother Nature'll let it dump or not," Annabeth nodded her head, interested.
"Where we're from it's never like this," she said, looking outside and into the storm.
"Yeah, up until a week or so ago we actually had completely dry ground. Folks were starting to get worried, you know. But that's how it's been with the world getting warmer and whatnot. Winter doesn't start til the end of December, anymore," he informed. Percy tuned himself out from the conversation and fiddled with Riptide in his hands. He hadn't had good reason to use the sword in actual battle since they had defended the Camps and defeated Gaea last summer. Sure, he'd used it in things like training or Capture the Flag, but it had mostly been on break.
The ride seemed to last forever, but was really about ten minutes and the group was outside of a cozy looking wooden building and preparing themselves to face the dreaded cold once more. The walk from the van to the front door wasn't too long, however, and with the help from a kindly old woman named Dolores they were checked into their room, a Suite courtesy Chiron.
The room was quite large, with two beds covered in thick down comforters. A TV was mounted on the wall, a bathroom by the front door, and a second room with a small kitchen and table that lead to a double glass door and out onto a balcony. Percy threw down his suitcase and rummaged through it, pulling out a white t-shirt and flannel pajama pants. He hopped in the bathroom, changed, and within five minutes of entering was collapsed onto his bed, asleep.